The good news is the roundabouts/traffic circles at McTavish and Beacon can be made safer and more navigable for a minimal cost. They both have the same problem, an identity crisis of not knowing if they are a traffic circle or a roundabout. The simple definition of these is a traffic circle is one lane and a roundabout is two or more lanes. These intersections flit between the two definitions.
The traffic volume and flow for both does not require a roundabout. Reducing all the confusion to single lanes will reduce the accidents and near misses at the intersections.
In many situations when entering the intersections one has to immediately cross a lane to be in the correct spot to leave the intersection. This free-for-all all to get into the correct lane is the cause of incidents and the many near misses.
Norm Ryder
Central Saanich
